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Another stocking thread.

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I'm planning on getting that 55 gallon tank I've been wanting for a while soon, and I have a few questions about stocking.

So I was originally planning on getting an angelfish but after weeks of research, I've found that they are apparently very difficult to care for. With me being still fairly new to this, I found that it would be better for me and for the fish to not get it. (As much as I hate to do so.) So I've come up with a new stocking list, that I think might work and I wanted to know your opinions.

Now, according to AqAdvisor, this puts me at 95% stocking. However; if I switch my my tank size from 55gallon to a 40 gallon breeder, it's only at 86%. Assuming that 95% is just some horribly innacurate mistake that was made, I still have a lot of space left. (yay!)

However, I'm really just looking for either a single fish or a pair of fish to take that "centerpiece" role in the tank. I've looked through a ton of threads where most of the suggestions are either Bolivian Rams (which I'm not a total fan of) or Apistogrammas (which I'm not really sure where to find.) So I wanted to know if there were any other suggestions you guys had for a centerpiece fish...

Another question:
I'm mostly liking the Odessa Barbs because of how the male looks, not so much a fan of the female. Would it be a problem to just get 5 males? Or would this cause some fighting....

You will have more colouration on the barbs if there is a group of male/female. Eight (4/4) as firefly suggested is good. However, this is a very active fish, swimming everywhere though it tends to remain mid-tank in the water column. Sedate fish like angels, gourami, ram cichlids may not appreciate this.

I agree with firefly, forget the SAE. For one thing, you could only have one in your tank, as they get to 6 inches and can be territorial. Plus, they don't do the "cleaning" anyway; they do eat brush algae, but given their size and behaviours I would not get them just for this.

Dwarf gourami are not an easy fish, due to health issues. The Honey Gourami would be a better species, with sedate tankmates. But as this is a 55g, you could consider Pearl Gourami, 1 male and 2 females would be nice. With lots of plants, two males and 4 females might work, but male gourami are territorial and one never knows.

You also have the space for angelfish, a group of 5 though, as this is a shoaling fish. However, any pairs that form can make life for the rest of the tank very uncomfortable and often have to be removed. And they can eat small fish.

Byron.

Byron Hosking, BMus, MA
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Something we all need to remember: The fish you've acquired was quite happy not being owned by you, minding its own business. If you’re going to take it under your wing then you’re responsible for it. Every aspect of its life is under your control, from water quality and temperature to swimming space. [Nathan Hill in PFK]

+ to Firefly's suggestions.
And I'm not sure that you should be afraid of angels. If you worm them right away, keep your tank clean and feed them a good diet, there's no reason why you can't successfully keep one. Just make certain you don't have any fin nippers in the tank or any fish small enough for the angel to eat :o)
Most people lose fish because 1) they don't cycle their tanks, 2) they don't keep their tanks clean, 3) they over feed, 4) they purchase poor stock, 5) they don't place compatible fish together, 6) they overstock, 7) they let water quality issues go unchecked.
You seem to have done your homework and appear very contentious. I think your chances are good with an angel. I've had mine for over a year and she's going strong. Mandy K set up a 120 gal with 7 or so angels and had never had them before and they are doing great.
And while Byron is correct, angels are a shoaling fish, single angels do fine in a well maintained tank.
His suggestion of Gouramis is also a good one.

ALRIGHT, thanks so much for your guys input. So how about, scratch the gourami and Siamese. this will allow me to an angel. So now we have,
12 cardinal tetras
1 bristlenose pleco
1 Angel fish
8 odessa barbs.

Will the Angel eat the cardinals?
Are the barbs considered aggressive and will they nip at the Angel?

Maybe on the cardinals
Probably on the barbs nipping at the angel :o(
sorry. I was thinking roseline sharks when you said odessa barbs. don't ask my why ....
The odessa barbs are going to nip at the fins of any slow moving fish - a gourami might also be at risk.
Cherry barbs are about the only barbs I know of that aren't nippy.

Just when you thought had a handle on it .... the handle comes loose, right?

ALRIGHT, thanks so much for your guys input. So how about, scratch the gourami and Siamese. this will allow me to an angel. So now we have,
12 cardinal tetras
1 bristlenose pleco
1 Angel fish
8 odessa barbs.

Will the Angel eat the cardinals?
Are the barbs considered aggressive and will they nip at the Angel?

FG, if you get bigger Cardianals and a smaller Angel this will not be a problem, as FM pointed out the Oddesa barbs could nip the angels fins. I would suggest looking into Five banded barbs as substitution, they border on the shy side and are not "nippers".

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. -Vince Lombardi
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” ― John WoodenSandy Hook Elementary......Lest We Forget
See my profile for my tanks and what fish I keep

I don't recommend any barb or danio with sedate fish like gourami and angels, as a matter of course. The activity level of barbs and danio can unsettle sedate fish. They are more likely to nip at sedate fish, just because the temptation is there. And even if this never gets physical, it is there chemically in the pheromones and allemones the various fish are always releasing and which other fish read.

I do agree that if the angel is small at first, it may grow up to tolerate linear fish. But keep in mind that the angelfish is naturally disposed to eat linear fish. Which is why tankmates for angelfish are best from the "disk" shaped characins like the Rosy clade and others.

Byron.

Byron Hosking, BMus, MA
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Something we all need to remember: The fish you've acquired was quite happy not being owned by you, minding its own business. If you’re going to take it under your wing then you’re responsible for it. Every aspect of its life is under your control, from water quality and temperature to swimming space. [Nathan Hill in PFK]

alright. I have decided just to drop the idea of angels again. with the risk there for the cardinals and my new found love of Odessa barbs and how they swim, I'm not willing to give either of them up. I've seen a bunch of videos on how a pack of Odessa barbs make the tornado thing as they swim around the tank. I figure this is good enough to be a " centerpiece" for the tank itself. I'll end up getting some corys ( any recommendations on which type, I'd prefer the more active ones) just because I've never had them before and it's nice to have more bottom dwellers. I'll probably also end up bumping up my cardinals school. HOW DOES THIS SOUND?